22 Jan 2014

Ms Christinah Hambira, a Kgari Sechele II Senior Secondary School teacher who handles a teen talk project, won guidance and counselling project of the year during Botswana International University of Science and Technology’s guidance and counseling open day.

Ms Hambira established a teen talk club at her school. It brought together teen parents to motivate and encourage one another in a safe and enabling environment.

The club also provided counselling for students who were teenage mothers, create a conducive learning environment, empower the schooling teenage mothers with life and parenting skills and raise awareness within the school of the plight of schooling teenage mothers.

Ms Hambira said in an interview that teen mothers were facing a lot of challenges and had for a long time been given little or no attention, resulting in some dropping out of school or falling pregnant again. She said teenage mothers often found themselves at the cross roads not knowing whether they fell in the category of parents or children.

She said her club helped teenage mothers to accept their status and focus on their education so that they too become better leaders in future and contribute positively to the development of Botswana. Teenage mothers, she said, often found themselves in isolation because of lack of support from their peers and families.

She said therefore this club helped them break the silence and talk about the challenges they are facing and even reconciles them with their families. She organized workshops for schooling teenage mothers with stakeholders such as Gender Affairs department, District Commissioner, Social and Community Development officials and the Police.

Through this workshop, she said, issues such as defilement, rape and other gender-based violence came to the fore and were noted for further action by the district commissioner. Ms Hambira is working on an out-of-school group similar to this one so that she continues helping teenage mothers after they complete their secondary education. The club is yet to be registered. She said even after completing form-five, these young parents need to be guided and given support.

Ms Hambira and three other teachers Ms Malebogo Dikalanyane of Mmadinare Senior Secondary School, Ms Baby Kealotswe of Moeding College and Ms Meek Namane won a P24 000 sponsorship from BIUST and will be enrolled at University of South Africa for guidance and counselling.

Ms Dikalanyane won the Emerging Guidance and Counsellor award, while Ms Kealotswe scooped the Distinguished Service in Guidance and Counselling award. Ms Namane won Outstanding Guidance and Couselling award. ENDS